British cheese proves it is a cut above the rest

Available 24 hours a day, Mintel's global public relations team is pleased to provide accredited journalists with access to our research, arrange interviews with our expert analysts and share the latest insights across categories and countries.

When it comes to the cheese board, continental varieties such as Brie, Camembert and Emmental were once the height of sophistication. But latest research from MINTEL finds that cheese buffs today are no longer forking out as much as they once were on these varieties, and are instead going crackers for good old British regionals, such as Lancashire, Cheshire and Red Leicester.Sales of regional British cheese increased as much as 16% between 2004 and 2006, to reach £220 million, with growth here outpacing the likes of soft and continental cheese.